Making The World A Better Place
by jadeddragon212
Summary: “What’s he trying to do?” asked Artemis. “He’s going along with his plan to create a better world, of course.By destroying this one and starting over from scratch.” Dead boys and pychos, oh my! Review if you want me to continue this story!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **Of course we don't own Artemis Fowl or we wouldn't be on but working on the latest book of the Fowl series. Since we don't own the book; here we are!

My cousin decided not do the fanfiction thing, but we did come up with a few chapters. It was fun working with someone on a story and I think it made the story even better! We talked on the phone, we emailed each other, we beat each other up on what would happen in the story when we actually met in person. But the end result came out FANtastic. Don't worry. I'll eventually get my cousin to join the darkside. We WILL get her into fanfiction. Anyways, read and reveiw PLZ! **

* * *

**

**Prologue: **

"You're not going to back out are you?" asked Quill as he studied Aspen's pale and frightened face. "You _do_ remember our promise, right?"

"Through thick and thin," murmured Aspen. "Of course I remember it. I'm just thinking…about whether or not this is the right course of action to take."

"It's the _only_ course of action to take," said Quill firmly. He arranged the night shade in a pentagon shape and placed a black candle in the center of the pentagon.

The night was chilly but cloudless. A bright yellow moon shone in the star speckled sky. The sight was breathtaking. Aspen rubbed his hands together in an effort to warm himself as he gazed up at the sky. Tears threatened to spill from his dark green eyes but he refused to let them flow freely where Quill could see them. He was cold. He was tired. More than anything he was _afraid_.

The grassy glade where they were performing the spell was too quiet for Aspen's nerves. He began humming a lullaby Mimsy used to hum to them when they were kids.

"Could you stop that?" snapped Quill.

"Why?" Aspen turned to see Quill bent over a rock with a look of intense concentration as he scratched in various rune symbols into the surface. There were four more rocks to go, one for each corner of the pentagon.

"It's distracting," answered Quill finally.

"It's supposed to be soothing," said Aspen indignantly.

"Well it's doing the opposite of what it's supposed to be doing."

"Sorry."

"It's alright, Aspen. I'm just edgy. There's a hundred and one ways this thing could go wrong."

"Quill?"

"What?"

"How did you learn how to do black magic?"

"The internet."

"Stop playing around. Esmeralda never taught you black magic, did she?"

"I read a book once. About necromancy. It was…interesting. I decided not to focus on that one branch of the dark arts and decided to study the entire thing."

"I heard that you needed sacrifices for what you're trying to do."

Quill paused over his third rock. Then he continued scratching in the rune for water.

"Absolute nonsense," he said with a laugh. "All the blood and guts and sacrificial virgins…ideas conjured up by Hollywood. Where'd you hear that garbage?"

"I read it somewhere."

"The internet can be misleading. Just some friendly advice. If you need information on how to give yourself first aid, don't go to the internet for help. Do yourself a favor and call 911 before you end up worse off than where you started."

"I read it in a book."

"Not everything you read is true."

"How do you know that this will work?"

"What is this? An interrogation? It just will, alright Aspen?"

"Quill?"

"What is it now, Aspen?"

"You sound nervous."

"Of course I'm nervous. There's a hundred and one ways this thing could blow up in our faces. If I screw up just one detail…the poop will hit the fan and everything will be one, big _mess_."

"Quill?"

Quill stopped to glare at Aspen.

"What?" he asked, impatient to finish his fifth rock.

"I love you. Through thick and thin."

Quill looked away.

"I love you too," he mumbled.


	2. Breakfast At Fowl Manor

**Chapter One:**

Artemis sat at the kitchen table reading the business section of the _Irish Times_ when his cell phone rang. Caller ID read _Minerva Paradizzo_. Artemis debated on whether or not he should pick up the phone when Butler walked into the room. He might not be employed by the Fowls now but he still swung by once in a while to make sure things were okay at Fowl Manor.

"You can't keep avoiding her forever," the large ex-bodyguard said. Artemis treated him to one of his infamous vampire grins. It said, 'I-bet-I-can'.

"Would you like to place money on that, old friend?"

"You're acting unbelievably childish," remarked Butler. "Behavior that doesn't suit you, might I add."

"I believe that when a person is dumped, they are allowed a period to sulk about it, am I correct?"

"Tell the truth, Artemis. You were relieved when Minerva dumped you, right?"

"That may be the case, but still…" Artemis took a sip of orange juice. "I'd like to enjoy the privileges that come with being dumped, thank you. If it'll make you feel any better, I'll call Minerva later and set up a lunch date to talk things out…at her expense of course."

"You're incorrigible, Artemis," said Butler with a sigh. "Where's your family?"

"On a trip," spat Artemis. "To _Disneyland_. I'm afraid that Myles and Beckett are nothing like me."

"Thank goodness," said Butler under his breath. Artemis pretended he hadn't heard.

Butler picked up the news section of the newspaper and scanned the front page story. "Have you heard about the Satanist?"

"Who hasn't?" returned Artemis without even looking up his section of the paper.

"'Missing organs, limbs and bones, oh my,'" read Butler. "For months, officials worldwide have been finding the ransacked bodies of wanted criminals and corrupt politicians. The scene around the body is always gruesome and seemingly straight from a horror flick. Blood and guts spewed all over, pentagrams and other ritualistic diagrams have been found at the crime scene. People are beginning to call this mystery murderer, the Satanist…"

"_Please_," said Artemis. "Some people haven't had breakfast yet."

"Are you going to look into it? The case I mean."

"Why should I? I have plenty on my plate already."

Artemis reached for a muffin and looked up into the smiling face of his subterranean friend, Holly Short.

"Hi, Holly," said Artemis absent mindedly, his mind focused on the banana-nut muffin he was reaching for. Then words began to register in his oversized brain and he nearly dropped his muffin.

"Hi, Mudboy," said Holly smugly.

"How did you…?"

"When your servant was welcoming in Butler, he said 'Come in' which is a general invitation since there were no names attached to it. How you doing, Butler?"

Butler smiled at Holly and Holly couldn't help but notice how the skin crinkled around his mouth and eyes as he smiled. Holly looked at the paper spread out on the table in front of Butler.

"So you call him the Satanist up here?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" asked Artemis.

"It seems that the Satanist's reach stretches all the way into Haven. Ark Sool was found dead in his flat this morning. The LEP just contacted me. Since I just _happened_ to be flying over Ireland, I decided to swing by here and get your opinion on the case. You _have_ been working on it, haven't you?"

"No," admitted Artemis. "Why does everyone think I've been working on this case? You _do_ realize that there are two genii in this world?"

"I don't know," said Holly slowly. "Supernatural things seem straight up your alley."

"Minerva kidnapped a _demon_," countered Artemis. "If anything, this would be more her thing than mine."

Holly picked up a cinnamon muffin and nibbled at it as she watched Artemis. Her blue eye twinkled with amusement while her brown one twinkled mischievously. "You kidnapped _me_, once."

"About that…"

"Water under the bridge," interrupted Holly. "Well, if you haven't been working on it, I would suggest you get to work on it now."

"Right," said Artemis, still uncomfortable from Holly's prior statement.

"And have you started talking to Minerva, yet?" asked Holly.

"No," said Artemis with a grin.

"Why not?"

"She's left thirty messages on my cell phone, _forty_ on my answering machine in my room, thirty-seven emails and an 'I'm-Sorry' cake on my doorstep, and you're asking me _why_? By the by, the cake was the sweetest thing I have ever had the pleasure to taste."

"I think your eye is beginning to affect him, Holly," said Butler.

"It does sound like something I would do, doesn't it?" Holly was grinning along with Butler.

"Now _you_ would have had that person buy you lunch," said Artemis.

"As I recall…" began Butler.

"You have to get back to work," finished Artemis as he shot a glare in Butler's direction. Butler just chuckled.

"You're right," said Holly. She hopped off her seat and onto the floor. "I have to catch my 2:45 shuttle back to Haven. Catch you on the communicator, Artemis. Bye Butler."

Holly left. Artemis picked up the article Butler had been reading and scanned through it. Another psychopath Artemis had to catch. Nothing new there.

* * *

So what do you think? R&R if you want the next chapter! 


	3. Feeling Lost

**Chapter Two:**

There were only three things Aspen knew for sure. His name was Aspen, he was in someone else's house and there was something important he couldn't remember. It had something to do with a big, green, talking snake and his brother, Quill. But that wasn't important now. What was important was finding out where he was and how in Sam's godforsaken Hill he was going to find Quill. Aspen drifted from room to room, touching things and wishing he knew where he was.

Living room, bathroom, bedroom, kitchen. The kitchen was Aspen's favorite part of a house. That's where all the food was kept. He drifted into the room. It had a tiny island in the middle of it with pans hanging over it on a rack. The counters were polished granite and Aspen could see that something had spilled behind the island. Tomato juice, Aspen thought. There were tiny cards with numbers all over the place. Aspen was only focused on the gleaming white rectangle on the other side of the room.

The fridge.

Aspen crossed over to the refrigerator and opened it. Whoever owned it must have been loaded. The fridge was _packed_. And the vegetables and fruits were actually sorted into their respective drawers. Aspen pulled out a pie that had yet to be cut, reasoning that the owner of the house wouldn't mind much if he was hospitable and if he wasn't…who cared what he thought? Aspen looked around for a knife and found one when he noticed the red underfoot. Someone should really clean up that tomato juice…


	4. The Scene Of The Crime

**Chapter Three:**

Artemis nudged open the door of Councilwoman Ortega's house and cautiously stepped inside. He had heard the phrase 'return to the scene of the crime' and was wary. He didn't want to run into a psychotic serial killer, especially since he was alone. Butler had wanted to come with him but Artemis had gently turned down the offer. Butler was old. There were no two ways about it. If he wasn't there for the muscle then he would have just been in the way. Artemis felt a pit in his stomach as he drove to the Councilwoman's home…alone.

The place had been empty of police officers. After all, this had been the sixth hit out of twenty-three. They would've been focusing on the first hit most of all, if the police were any good, and the latest. So to avoid being questioned by police, Artemis had chosen a house likely to be empty and of course, he was right in his guess.

He glided through room after room, scanning everything as he went. He wanted to work from the murder scene and outwards. Maybe after glimpsing the body he would be able to think of what he would be looking for. Living room, bathroom, bedroom, kitchen. Artemis froze. There was a _pie_ and a _knife_ floating in midair.

"Er…" said Artemis.


	5. Artemis, Meet Aspen

**Chapter Four:**

"Hello," said Aspen. "There's a dead body here, you know. You can't see it from over there but it's here."

The raven-haired boy that had just strode into the room remained frozen where he stood as if he had seen a ghost. He looked weird. He had different colored eyes, one cold ice, one warm puppy-dog brown. If Count Dracula ever had a kid, he was standing in front of Aspen right now. Pale skinned and tall…Aspen could describe him as charmingly handsome, but never out loud. Quill would have called him a 'homosexual freak'.

For a while, Aspen mulled over the idea of the boy being retarded. He was still standing the doorway staring intensely at Aspen and that was making Aspen uncomfortable. Then the thought occurred to him that the boy could have killed the woman that lay at his feet. Aspen's grip on the knife tightened.

"Did you kill her?" Aspen asked.

"No," answered the boy. "Did you? I mean, you _are_ standing over her body with a knife…"

"Of course not," said Aspen hastily. It occurred to him that the scene probably was incriminating. After all, he was standing over a dead body with a knife in his hand. "Do you want pie?"

"I had breakfast a while ago, so no," said the boy. "What's your name?"

"Aspen Williams," answered Aspen. "And you?"

"Artemis Fowl The Second. This may sound a bit forward and/or ridiculous but…are you a ghost?"

"No."

"Then why can't I see you?"

"Maybe you're blind?"


	6. A Knife, A Pie And A Dead Body

**Chapter Five:**

Artemis slapped a hand over his face. Maybe it was the disorientation from slipping from life to the afterlife, but Artemis was getting the feeling that the ghost wasn't very smart. Artemis couldn't match Aspen's name with any of the Satanist's victims but then again, the ghost could be a victim that the police hadn't found yet.

"I can't see _you_ but I can see everything else crystal-clear," said Artemis finally.

"Oh."

"You're probably dead."

"That can't be right. I was alive a few minutes ago."

"Then suddenly you've acquired the ability to turn invisible and get into other people's houses?"

"Right. I'm not dead, okay? I don't know why you can't see me but…ugh! No matter how many times I see this, this looks disgusting. Especially when the sacrifice is human."

"You've seen this sort of thing before?" asked Artemis, suddenly alert.

"Yes. Somewhere. The problem is, I can't remember where. I can't remember anything past five minutes ago except…"

"What?"

"My brother Quill, a green snake that could talk and a whole bunch of diagrams. The last thing I remember about my brother was that he was scared."

"Figures you wouldn't remember anything," muttered Artemis. "You're dead."

"I'm not dead!"

"You're in denial."

"I'm not dead _or_ in denial about being dead!"

"Could you stop waving that knife around? Especially here." Artemis threw a vague arm in the direction of the Councilwoman's body.

"Sorry."

"Especially since you're over emotional and grappling with the fact that…"

"I'm not dead!"


	7. Stressful

**Chapter Six:**

Artemis sighed as he slid into the driver's seat of his Jaguar. Aspen had been eating pie as he watched the prodigy examine every inch of space in Councilwoman Ortega's house. Artemis had found nothing. Aspen had found he liked Ortega's homemade apple pie. It was sweet and delicious. Artemis had been appalled that the boy could eat so calmly sitting in the same room as a dead body.

"Can we get some more pie?" asked Aspen as he slid into the passenger seat of Artemis' car. Artemis had been suspicious of Aspen at first. After all, the murderer could just as well have been a ghost as the murderer could've been a human or a fairy. But then, Aspen was too…

"If Batman got in a fight with Superman, who do you think would win?"

"I don't know."

"If Superman screwed Lois, would he kill her?"

"What? I wouldn't know."

"Which do you like better? Pretzels or potato chips? They're both so boring."

"Um…potato chips?"

"Yeah, you could do a lot with potato chips. Sour cream and onion, barbeque, salt and vinegar, Heinz Ketchup…"

"I'm trying to focus here, Aspen."

"Yeah, okay. I can tell you're really smart. You know how? You don't talk like a lot of kids. They talk like this. 'And I was totally at the mall yesterday when this totally hot guy, like, totally looked in my direction and I was like 'Yo.' And he said, 'Yo.' It was totally awesome!' Insert giggles. But you're like, 'Elementary, my dear Watson. Pure elementary and all that.' Which is cool. And I don't know any normal kids who would be investigating a crime scene. You could pass for one of the Hardy Boys, you know? And then you don't dress like a normal kid, you know? Why do you wear suits?"

"I. Like. Suits."

"You sound stressed. You sound like my brother, Quill. He doesn't like it when I ask too many questions. But you're nicer, you know? At least you don't turn up your Mp3 when I'm talking to you. But then you don't have one. What type of music do you listen to?"

"Classical and occasionally rock."

"Rock?"

"Sometimes, rock songs actually have meaning behind them. Like…'_Pieces_' or…"

"_You_ listen to _rock_?"

"Yes."

"Wow! That's so cool! You know, you're really cool. You're super smart and stuff…"

"How old are you, Aspen?"

"Nine."

That's when Artemis tuned Aspen out. The ride back to Fowl Manor was very stressful for the young genius. Aspen kept asking all kinds of ridiculous questions. Questions that wouldn't seem out of place coming from Myles and Beckett, regrettably. Artemis had gone through yoga exercises, A to Z and by the time they rolled up the driveway of Fowl Manor, Artemis was near ready to strangle Aspen.

"Aspen! Please! Couldn't you ask more…mature questions?"

"Um…okay. Are you rich?" asked Aspen.

"You could say that," said Artemis as he cut the engine.

"Where did you get all your money from?"

"Er…if Green Lantern had to fight the Flash, who do you think would win?"

"Green Lantern, duh! What kind of super power is super speed? It's so stupid."


	8. Butler, Meet Aspen

**Chapter Seven:**

"Butler!" Artemis yelled as soon as Johan had opened the door. "Butler! Help!"

"What is it, Sir?" asked Johan, looking around. He was Butler's pubescent cousin, still in training. He accompanied Artemis, sometimes, on his many adventures but was mostly around for house work. Where Butler had known a hundred and one ways to kill with his bare hands, Johan, sadly, only knew fifteen he could implement successfully. But he was still dangerous.

Artemis turned on Johan. "Do _you_ know how many times the Flash could run around the world in a day? Do _you_ know if Superman could beat Bizarro if Bizarro were able to think on his own? Do _you _know why Wonder Woman hasn't 'hooked up' with Batman, yet? Do _you _know how to shut a nine year-old up? _No_. Butler!"

"Hello," said a voice at Johan's shoulder. Johan looked around but saw nothing.

"Artemis said he can't see me. Can you see me?" the voice asked. Nothing there.

"Dom!" yelled Johan. Butler finally appeared.

"Can you please take this child off my hands while I call Holly?" asked Artemis through gritted teeth. "I'm so close to…I'm about to…He's a child but…"

Unable to find the words, Artemis just growled and made violent gestures with his hands.

"What child?" asked Butler. He glanced at his cousin who stood to the side, his eyes wide and scared. He wondered if he was dreaming.

"Hello," said a voice at his side. "Can you see me?"

"No," said Butler calmly.

"He's a ghost," stated Artemis as he hurried down a hall towards his room. "A ghost in denial!"

"I'm not dead," screamed Aspen after Artemis. He turned to Butler. "Do you have any Caramel Butter potato chips? I could settle for Caesar Salad flavored or even Mapodoufu if you've got it. I'm hungry."

"Um…"


	9. Dinner Discussion

Thank you for the reveiws! Cousin and I appreciated them! We were debating whether or not we should keep putting up chapters because we only had one reveiw. Keep reveiwing and we'll keep posting. Thank you so much for reading!**

* * *

**

**Chapter Eight: **

"Another murder on Holly's side," said Artemis before he took a bite of roast beef. Yum. "She'll be coming topside tomorrow."

"Really," said Butler, absent mindedly. He was focusing on Aspen. "Eat your vegetables, Aspen. They're good for you."

"He's _dead_ for Pete's sake, Butler," said Artemis, thoroughly irritated at being ignored because of a nine year old ghost. "Focus!"

"I'm not dead," snapped Aspen. Reluctantly, he took a tiny bite of broccoli before returning to tearing apart his roast beef. It was like watching a school of invisible piranhas tear apart their prey during a feeding frenzy.

"Could you not point that out?" asked Butler. "It upsets him when you say that."

"He's _dead_," said Artemis hotly. "D-E-A-D. Dead. He needs to realize that. Let's focus here on the case. Opal Koboi was the target of the Satanist's last attack. How is he able to get to the Lower Elements, if he's human? Or maybe he's a fairy? It would seem more likely since the fairies have the technology to go back and forth. I suggested that the Lower Elements be put on lock down. If the fairy were caught by human officials, there's no telling what could happen next."

"You guys know about fairies?" asked Aspen. "My brother was always going on and on about them. Can't remember what about but I remember him using words like 'LEP' and stuff."

"He _knows_?" Butler, Johan and Artemis asked at the same time.

"Yeah. So does Esmeralda. And Esmeralda's mom. And her dad. And her brother. And her older sister. Her little brother is such a pain. He's always asking stupid questions and following me around."

"You're memory must be coming back. Let's focus here," said Artemis. "You can't remember anything about what was said about the People?"

"Well, Esmeralda told me never to talk about the People but since you already know about them, I guess I can talk about them with you. She also said that the People lived underground and that there are different species of them and that there are centaurs and elves and dwarves and recently demons. She also said that her family has known about the People for generations. Her family tree is huge or something. I told her to prune it if it was so big but she only laughed. Anyways, she said that her family went back all the way to when the fairies went into hiding. They secretly helped the People without anyone being the wiser. Maybe a few fairies knew about them but not a lot. Her family isn't mad. They travel a lot and they know a lot about magic."

"You mean her family is nomadic," corrected Artemis absent-mindedly. "This…is an interesting development. It's possible that someone from Esmeralda's family is the Satanist."

"No," said Aspen indignantly. "She practices white magic. You're not allowed to kill anyone if you use white magic. She does healing and other stuff like that. Whoever's doing the killing is probably a black magic user."

"Did your brother Quill practice magic?" asked Artemis.

"Yes," said Aspen. "He learned everything he knows from Esmeralda."

"What do you remember about your brother? What was he like?"

"I wouldn't know that much about him, even if I _could _remember," said Aspen quietly.

"Why?" asked Butler. Johan was just sitting in his seat and watching the entire scene as if it were a movie on Starz and randomly shoveled food into his mouth. Roast beef and potatoes…yum.

"I was in an orphanage while Quill wandered around on the streets. I wanted to come with him but he said I would only be in the way. He wasn't quite the same after Momma died. I was two when it happened. A man had shot her on her way home from the grocery. Quill took care of me for a while before dumping me off at an orphanage. He was always telling me that the world was a dark and cruel place and that he would find a way to fix it."

"How did he plan on doing that?" asked Artemis.

"I remember he did have a plan," said Aspen slowly. "It sounded great. No more bad men in the world. Everyone would be nice to everyone. He told me stories about Utopia. That's what he called his new world. Utopia. I thought it was a stupid name."

"So then he can't possibly be the Satanist?" Artemis' voice was quiet.

"Nope," said Aspen proudly. "My brother's a good guy. My brother wouldn't like the Satanist at all. He was all for justice but he didn't like killing. Me and him, through thick and thin."


	10. Esmeralda

_**jadeddragon212**__: WE HAVE TO PUT IN A LOVE INTEREST!_

_**cousinofjadeddragon212**__: Why? I like the story as it is…_

_jadeddragon212: Come on! Please? Pretty please? With lots of sprinkles and stuff on top?_

_cousinofjadeddragon212: I really think we should leave the story alone._

_jadeddragon212: PLEASE? I'M BEGGING YOU!_

_cousinofjadeddragon212: I know. And it's annoying the hell out of me. Why can't we put a female in the story who can be just a friend to Artemis? Why d__oes the main character always have to fall in love with the made-up character_

_jadeddragon212: Otherwise it's just boring. Friendship is boring. Well, in the fantasy world it is. This is a fantasy and I'm fantasizing a romance between Artemis and Esmeralda. _

_cousinofjadeddragon212: I was thinking romance between Quill…_

_jadeddragon212: NO!_

_cousinofjadeddragon212: Can you stop shouting at me? Fine. __Goshdammit_

_j__adeddragon212: Yay!_

_cousinofjadeddragon212: But, I get to make up Esmeralda's character. You'll just make her all soppy and idiotic._

_jadeddragon212: That wasn't nice to say. And can you blame me? I read a lot of romance novels._

_cousinofjadeddragon212: And not even good ones…_

_(jadeddragon212 jumps on cousinofjadeddragon212)_

**Chapter Nine**:

_"Esmeralda Desperado."_

_Esmeralda looked up from her worn out and raggedy converses. "Sir?"_

_"You have revealed much of the __Veritas__ Knowledge to the commoner Quill Williams. Your answer?"_

_"I acknowledge this as…true."_

_"You are aware of the recent ritualistic murders?"_

_"Yes, Sir."_

_"You are aware of who is responsible?"_

_"Yes, Sir. It is the commoner, Quill Williams."_

_"You are aware of what he plans to do?"_

_"Yes, Sir."_

_"You are aware of the gravity of this case?"_

_"Yes, Sir."_

_"Because you are the one that revealed the __Veritas__ to the commoner, Quill Williams, you are responsible for his every action. Do you agree?"_

_"Yes, Sir."_

_"Are you aware of the penalty of failure?"_

_"Banishment from the clan and the removal of my __Veritas__ Knowledge." _

_"Then you will stop the commoner without fail on pain of the ultimate penalty?"_

_"Or so help me Truth." _

_"Goodbye, Esmeralda. Good luck."_

_"Thank you, Father. I will not fail." _


	11. Esmeralda Continued

I guess the previous chapter would be confusing without this one to explain things. BTW, Commoner means human or someone who isn't apart of Esmeralda's family. Esmeralda's family has been dealing with the supernatural ever since humans walked the earth. They were close to the People and helped them during their flight underground. They've been researching magic and its uses for centuries. The Veritas is basically the Truth and Ultimate Knowledge (sort of like from Full Metal Alchemist). **

* * *

**

**Chapter Ten: **

Esmeralda stood on the Cliffs of Moher trying to breathe through her excitement over the vast beauty of it all. Fresh ocean air, free of the smell of industry and humanity in general, caused her senses to dance a merry jig that sent Esmeralda's head spinning. Her hair whipped out behind her in a tangled mess as always. It was too curly to bother with so Esmeralda always had it in tangled pony tail. Her chains of protection danced on her chest and she felt like flying over the edge of the cliff and taking a swim in the crystal blue waters below. She spread her arms out and closed her eyes, allowing her magic to flow out of her in purple wisps. Quill and Aspen would have loved it…Quill…

Esmeralda opened her eyes to reality. She was after Quill. She had to bring him back to the Council of Elders who would, without a doubt, put him to death. He knew too much and he had abused the Veritas. He _killed_ his brother. Aspen…

The nine year-old had been admittedly annoying with his crush on her but he had been endearingly sweet. You laughed and he laughed, you were mad and he was mad, you cried and he cried…all without knowing what he was crying, laughing or being mad about. _Flesh dripping with innocence_. Aspen had been the definition of innocence.

When Esmeralda had asked about the man who had killed Aspen's mother, Aspen had just shrugged. If Aspen were able to meet that man today and do anything to him and not get in trouble he would…ask him why? Why had he killed his mother? He wouldn't have killed the man or even hurt him. He would just ask why? Aspen hadn't deserved to die.

Why had Quill done it? Why had he murdered his _brother_? It was a question Esmeralda would have to ask him when she finally found him and kicked his butt for what he had done. But right now, she had to focus on finding Aspen's soul. It was bound to be wandering around lost.

An Atlantic Puffin landed in front of her and transformed into a sleek, black cat. "Are you done sightseeing? While you're here acting like a buffoon, your _boyfriend_ is probably out there killing another commoner or fairy."

"Shut up, Cassandra. I was just…thinking." Esmeralda mumbled the last word.

"You shouldn't talk to your familiar like that," said Cassandra, licking her paw. "You're an incorrigible child."

"Do you sense him?" asked Esmeralda suddenly. She watched as Cassandra turned into a red-billed chough.

"I sensed him a long time ago," said Cassandra matter-of-factly. "He's in a human establishment though. If I had to place an opinion, I would say that he has already managed to drive the inhabitants insane with his idiotic questions."

"Hush, Cassandra," chided Esmeralda. "You shouldn't talk like that."

"Right," said Cassandra drily as she took flight. "Sudden respect for the dead, is it?"

Esmeralda took out her bag of Dixie dust. The threw a pinch of the pink and green powder in the air. She became a blur, speeding across Ireland. Funny thing is that you don't realize something about a person until they're gone. She'd always respected Aspen. She just never knew she had that respect until now.

* * *

You all know what I'm about to ask you to do. I'm going to ask you to use your mouse, move it a few inches (just a few) and use it to click the purple button that says 'Go'. Now I want you to (I know this is bothersome) type into the medium-sized box, what you think about the story. Okey-dokey? Cool! Looking forward to your reveiws! 


	12. Esmeralda, Meet Artemis

**Chapter Eleven: **

Johan opened the door to a very crazy looking girl with a chough on her shoulder standing on the doorstep. She was dressed fully in black and wearing as much silver as she could possibly fit unto her body. Her hair was a crazy mass of curls and her eyes were crimson red. She looked small and fragile. Almost like a china doll. An out of breath china doll.

"Have you been experiencing any supernatural problems lately?" she gasped. "More accurately, a boy ghost who asks incessant annoying questions, has a craving for weirdly flavored potato chips and follows you everywhere you go?"

"Er…" began Johan.

"Could you get away from me, dead boy?" Artemis yelled from somewhere in the deep recesses of the Manor.

"I'm not dead!" screamed Aspen. "I want that laptop vampire boy! I want to play Zombie Crushers: The Return of the Undead."

"I wonder if _you're_ in the game!"

"I'm not dead!"

"Artemis, stop calling Aspen dead!"

The crash and tinkle of something _very_ expensive.

"Yes," finished Johan lamely.

"The name's Esmeralda Desperado. I'm here to pick up Aspen."

The chough studied Johan with one beady eye and squawked. Johan Butler stepped aside to let Esmeralda in.

Aspen beat on the solid oak wood door in frustration. "I want to play the Zombie game! Butler!"

"Artemis," said Butler as calmly as he could. To tell the truth, he loved the both of them to death (not a pun in regards to Aspen) but they were both working his nerves like expert kneaders. "You have your own personal computer in your room. Why not use that one and let Aspen use your laptop?"

"Look at it like this. Aspen wants to play with zombies? Why doesn't he go play with him…"

"Artemis!" Butler felt a tug on his shirt and turned around. He raised an eyebrow at the strange girl with a bird on her shoulder that strode towards them. She smiled at them both.

"Esmeralda! You came for me," squealed Aspen as he launched himself at Esmeralda. Esmeralda opened her arms and was nearly thrown back as the small boy threw himself into her embrace. The chough that was on her shoulder just barely managed to fly out of the way. It squawked indignantly before landing on Butler's shoulder. It studied the large man with a beady eye.

Artemis yanked open his door, thoroughly irritated. "I'm _trying_ to work here…"

He was promptly tackled to the floor by Aspen. "I want that laptop!"

"Get off, you dead boy!"

"How terribly insensitive," remarked Esmeralda. She watched as the two boys struggled on the floor. Of course she could see Aspen, using her witch's eye and she noticed Cassandra eyeing Aspen as well. "You don't think he knows, do you?"

The chough shook it's small head.

"I don't want to tell him just yet…maybe after the business with Quill is resolved."

The chough nodded.

Artemis had finally relented and allowed Aspen into his room and onto his laptop. He stood up and brushed himself off, completely annoyed with the boy, now. "Butler, would you mind watching Aspen?"

Butler nodded. He sat at Artemis' desk and picked up a book to flip through. It was one of Artemis' baby books. Robert Greene's _48 Laws of Power_. He had scoffed at the entire thing. Although some of the laws had merit, they were not described thoroughly and would result in disaster in the hands of an idiot who didn't look too deeply into the laws.

Cassandra had landed on a pillow next to Aspen. Esmeralda knew that she was 'downloading' what Aspen knew about Quill and what had happened to Aspen while he was a ghost. The information was filling Esmeralda's brain and causing a major headache. She closed her eyes and massaged her temples.

When she opened her eyes again, Artemis had his hand extended towards her. "Artemis Fowl the Second. You must be Esmeralda."

-----------------

Esmeralda sat at the kitchen table clutching a warm cup of Earl Grey. Artemis sat on the other side of the table, watching her. Her hands trembled for a while before going absolutely still. Esmeralda opened her eyes and studied Artemis. If Count Dracula ever had a kid…

"Could you stop that?" asked Esmeralda. "It's intimidating."

"What?" asked Artemis as he took a sip of his own Earl Grey.

"Stop looking so smug and comfortable."

"Is this better?" Artemis made his face impassive and expressionless.

"No. Go back to smug and comfortable."

"Alright. So…"

"So what?"

"If you were 'downloading' information from Aspen's head, you would already know I'm working on who the Satanist is. So…?"

"You suspect Quill, don't you?" asked Esmeralda quietly.

"Now, what would ever lead you to believe that?"

"You were asking questions about him. This is good tea," said Esmeralda, taking another sip. "Though I like Lady Grey better."

"It's him isn't it?" pressed Artemis.

"Yes," said Esmeralda reluctantly. "Before I say anything more, you are aware that you will have your memory erased at the end of all this?"

Artemis was quiet for a while. "Alright. So my memory's going to be erased. Still, I need to catch the Satanist—Quill—for a friend. Tell me everything. How you met him, what you taught him…everything."


	13. Everything Becomes Clear

Signs on...goes to preview...looks at dismal number of reviews...slaps self in the head. Well, at least there are some people reading this. I still have a few chapters typed out and gathering dust in my harddrive. I'll just keep posting in hopes that readers will suddenly take interest in my story...

Artemis(bursts into room): Fat chance of that happening!

jadeddragon212: What?!?! Get your ass back in the story now!

Artemis: Once again. Fat chance of that happening.

jadeddragon212: Do you want to die you SOB?

Artemis: What are YOU going to do to me?

jadeddragon212(eye twitches and pulls out keyboard): One day, Holly wanted to make jadeddragon212 very happy. So she bought a box of lollipops...

Artemis: Wait. What? I don't like where this is going...

jadeddragon212: Holly brought them to jadeddragon212's room...

(Holly pops into room) Holly: Hi guys!

jadeddragon212: She saw Artemis and remembered the time that Artemis had forced Mulch to surprise-French kiss Holly during a game of truth and dare the other day. She looked from the box of lollipops to Artemis and grinned _quite_ evilly...

Artemis: Now wait a second...what are you going to do with those lollipops? (Artemis begins to back towards jadeddragon212's computer)

Holly: I'm going to stick them up No Shine Drive... that's what I'm going to do. (Holly advances then pauses)

jadeddragon212: You better get back in the story...now( jadeddragon212's hand hovers dangerously over the keyboard)

(Artemis and then Holly disappear)

jadedragon212: Now back to the story.

**

* * *

Chapter Twelve: **

"I met Quill when I was seven. He was nine and looking at books in my mother's book store. He was reading a book on necromancy. I noticed how into the book he was and I knew…that he was going to go home and try it. I was right. He came back a few days later and reread the book, probably searching for what he did wrong. I asked him why he was looking up necromancy and he told me everything. I…I was sorry for him. We got into talking. Eventually he told me his dream of making the world a better place. And that's when I started teaching him about magic."

"So your family is all for 'making-the-world-a-better-place' idea?" asked Artemis.

"It's what we've been trying to do from the Beginning," said Esmeralda. "It's all we really want."

"Do you believe in actually, making the entire world a better place. Everything…_perfect_?"

"Like I said, it's what we aim for," said Esmeralda, gulping down the rest of the tea while avoiding Artemis' eye.

"You don't believe in all that hype, do you?" asked Artemis softly. "Don't lie."

"The world will never be perfect using my family's methods," admitted Esmeralda. "Peace, love and friendship. We can preach all we want but will anyone really listen?"

"So Quill came up with a better method?"

" I was young and naïve and I believed him when he painted this imaginary world where people didn't kill people and everyone loved one another because of magic. Magic was the answer to the world's problems. He would _create_ a world where harmony ruled."

"Chaos is a constant. The world cannot exist without it. Where there is good, there will always be bad and all that clichéd junk you hear on television. Point is, nothing will be perfect."

"That's what I began to see while I was growing up. I began to see that the world will never have perfect peace and that you just have to learn to live with it. You can wonder why, but keep it moving. Like Aspen. He never dwelled on his mother's murder. Never letting something go…it can drive a person off the edge sometimes. I began suggesting something along those lines to Quill but then he just yelled at me and left, disgusted. 'I thought you understood,' he said."

"What's he trying to do?" asked Artemis.

"He's going along with his plan to create a better world, of course."

"How's he going to do that?"

"By destroying this one and starting over from scratch."

The sweet smell of bergamot orange filled the air as somewhere in the house, a chough squawked in laughter.


	14. Who Said 13 Was An Unlucky Number?

**WHOO! GO CRAZY PEOPLE!!! **I enjoyed writing Quill's POV. He's one messed up dude. But don't worry. HE'S not the main antagonist, just a puppet. You have to feel sorry for the puppets. They think they're big and bad but really, they're just there to do the dirty work. What do you guys think? I WANT REVIEWS!!!!! It's what all we writers want on the inside.--Jaded! **

* * *

**

**Chapter Thirteen: The Unlucky Chapter **

_One innocent body to summon me…_

It had been difficult, offering up his own brother to the Supreme Anti-Angel Beelzebub but the ends justifies the means, right? The large green serpent had appeared in a fog of puce smoke, scaring the daylights out of his little brother. He was scared insensible. It was a relief when Beelzebub opened his large, needle teeth-lined maw and swallowed Aspen whole. At least Aspen wouldn't die too painfully. He watched as the lump that was his brother slid down Beelzebub's throat. Quill waited patiently for Beelzebub to finish before asking his question.

"I want to create a new and better world. How do I do it?"

Beelzebub had blinked slowly and lazily at the tall, skinny and determined boy. He wondered idly if he should eat the boy too. If he was stupid enough to call the Supreme Anti-Angel without proper defenses, it was obvious that he lacked the wit to do what was needed to bring about a new world order. But then again, the boy was young. A lot of strength was required to summon Beelzebub.

"You want to create a new world order? Find me twenty perfectly corrupt souls, kill them according to my Thirteenth Law, bring me the body parts you've taken from them and build me a mortal body so that I might stay on this plane to do my work. Simple, isn't it?"

"Yes, quite," replied Quill.

_Twenty fully corrupted souls to use me…_

Twenty-three people later and Quill was near the end of his goal. Six of the people he had used for the sacrificing did not have fully corrupted souls. He was three people short. He would find them eventually. He had waited eleven years. He could wait just a little bit more.

October the 13th. The Devil's day, although it wasn't actually celebrated until the 30th. Quill marched up to the abandoned warehouse, muttered a few hexes and the guards at the door fell, grasping at their chests. He glided past. The meeting was put together by destiny. The Fates were on his side. Three of the most dangerous mob leaders were meeting here at this abandoned warehouse. How cliché though. What was appealing about an abandoned ware house with no heating? Quill couldn't sit around figuring out how evil worked. It would take too long.

They died peacefully. Or as peacefully as you could while your blood began to boil and cooked you alive from the inside. Quill waited patiently in one of their chairs and watched as all three of the obese men writhed about on the floor. He kicked one of them when they latched onto his pant leg. How disgusting evil was.

The world was a black and white photo for Quill. There was the good, which was him, Aspen, Esmeralda (though he was a bit unsure nowadays) and his mother. Bad men were his mother's murderer, the government that kept the family in the slums and Quill's father. Even though his mother's murderer and Quill's father were one and the same, he saw them as two different people. His father, who had walked out on his mother when Aspen was making his way into the world and then the man who had stabbed his mother for her money, which wasn't even a lot. Two monstrous sins that were too big to fit into just one person. So there was Quill's father and his mother's murderer.

The three men had stopped wiggling so Quill presumed they were dead. He reached down for the closest baddie but that one wasn't quite dead yet. He was giving something to Quill. A locket. It held a picture of two small smiling girls. If Quill had to name them, they would be known as Dawn and Sunshine. They looked so perfect and adorable. Quill batted the locket away as the man died and touched his forehead and muttered a levitation and preservation spell over his body. He wouldn't pull out the organs just yet. He did the same with the other two.

Who said thirteen was an unlucky number?


	15. Apology Cake and Saving The World

**Chapter Fourteen: **

"Anybody want a slice of apology cake?" asked Artemis slyly. Minerva suppressed the urge to back hand him. The entire gang was there. Holly, Mulch, Butler, Juliet and Minerva, Qwan, No1 Doodah and Johan sat around the large dining room table, waiting to be briefed. Esmeralda had been hesitant to allow so many people to know about her, but in the end, she relented under Artemis' pressuring. It should be noted, it was right around the time that Artemis slipped Aspen ten dollars to keep asking Esmeralda, 'Can they please come?' without stopping. Aspen now lay sleeping upstairs in Artemis' room.

A chocolate cake sat in the middle of the kitchen table. The words, 'I'm Sorry' were written in white icing on the top of the cake. Artemis shot Minerva one of his patented smirks. Her response came in the form of a butter knife scratching in the words, 'I Hate You' and scooping up the apology to transfer it to her mouth. She shot a venomous glare, like only the French could muster up, at Artemis and the entire table laughed. Esmeralda smiled.

"Remarkable," said Qwan. "A whole new world of magic. It'll be interesting to study."

"You won't even be able to remember the words white magic at the end of all this," said Esmeralda curtly. "Let's focus on why we're here. We won't be able to track Quill so the only option left, is to wait. And watch. We're going to have to spread out and watch for any signs of large summonings or large spells. We'll be split up into teams and each team will be assigned a continent to watch."

"What 'signs' will we be looking for?" asked Holly.

"You'll know them when you see them," answered Esmeralda. "I think the large dark clouds gathering over one spot and the feeling of reality being twisted out of shape will be a dead giveaway. But you'll only be able to notice these signs if you're in the vicinity. Which is why we need to spread out."

"Say one of the teams finds Quill…what then?" asked Mulch.

"_None_ of you are to engage in a duel with Quill," said Esmeralda firmly. "I'm the only one who can take him out. Your magic and technology are play things to him. Am I understood?"

Murmur of agreement.

"I'd like to apologize to you all, for causing all of this. It's my fault this is all happening. I'm begging you not to do anything heroic like try to stop Quill on your own. It would cause me no end of grief if one of you were hurt trying to clean up my mistake." Esmeralda stood up and bowed to them all. "Please accept my apology."

Artemis took a bite of his slice of cake. "Esmeralda?"

"Yes?"

"Were you the one that killed twenty-three people?"

"No, but…"

"Were you the one that decided to bring about an Apocalypse?"

"No, but…"

"Then shut up and eat cake."

Esmeralda smiled as Artemis pushed a plate of cake towards here and the table laughed and conversations broke out. It was amazing how the group could act so casual about going off to save the world. Maybe after the first four or so times, the novelty of it all wears off.


End file.
